Nomophobia and Romance

Nomophobia, an abbreviation for “no-mobile-phone phobia”, is the fear of being out of mobile phone contact. The term was coined during a 2010 study by the UK Post Office who commissioned YouGov, a UK-based research organization to look at anxieties suffered by mobile phone users. The study found that nearly 53% of mobile phone users in Britain tend to be anxious when they lose their mobile phone, run out of battery or credit, or have no network coverage. The study found that about 58% of men and 47% of women suffer from the phobia, and an additional 9% feel stressed when their mobile phones are off.

An ad at www.endnomophobia.com states that 65% of people sleep next to their smartphones. Believe it or not, 20% of people would rather go shoeless for a week than take a break from their smartphones. To my surprise, 34% of people admitted to answering their cell phone during intimacy! Sadly, the website offers a cure, which is battery extenders and signal boosters, so that you will never drop another call.

I offer a much simpler cure: in a business setting, on a date, and especially during intimacy, turn your cell phone off! To be drawn to your smartphone screen and to disengage with the fellow human to which you are having an exchange is the ultimate in disrespect. In the original days of chivalry, there were no cell phones. Chivalry today requires nothing different. Unless you are an automaton, try Dating for Life as a means of truly engaging with another human being. You can engage with the phone later. And regarding intimacy, you can turn on your cell phone anytime, but certainly not your partner.